Folding exercise chair

ABSTRACT

A foldable exercise chair configured with removable resistance bands to allow various exercises to be performed. An embodiment of the exercise chair allows a user to perform a full range of strength-training exercises and then fold the chair to allow for storage in limited space. This embodiment of the exercise chair is also able to be configured to suit a user&#39;s exercise routine by allowing for adding, changing, and removing the resistance bands, as well as modifying the bands for various resistance levels.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The pace of modern life makes it difficult for individuals to find the time necessary to get the recommended amount of exercise. This problem is exacerbated when exercising entails a trip to a gym to find proper exercise equipment, especially when a suitable gym is not located nearby. One solution to this problem is to create a home gym that allows one to exercise without travelling to a gym.

Creating a home gym leads to several new problems, one of which is finding the space to store the appropriate exercise equipment. This problem is especially present when the desired exercise is strength-training of all of the major muscle groups of the body. As opposed to a single stationary bike, or a treadmill, whole-body strength training traditionally requires multiple sets of weights, benches, seats, and other pieces of supporting equipment. All of this equipment takes up space, and is inherently heavy and difficult to move. Even when an appropriate space is found in one's home, it can be difficult to move the various pieces of equipment and weights necessary to facilitate a proper exercise routine. The same issues of space and portability arise when one wishes to exercise at the office. The ability to exercise at work saves time travelling to a gym, but the limited space of a typical office makes storage and portability of exercise equipment equally important at the office as in the home.

Therefore, there exists a need for an exercise device that can properly exercise the major muscle groups without requiring the space and difficulty of a full set of traditional weights and supporting equipment. The exercise device should also be simple to use, light enough to easily maneuver, and able to be stored in a limited amount of space.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An exercise chair comprising a rear frame; a seat frame, pivotably connected to the rear frame; a seat, pivotably connected to the rear frame and to the seat frame; a back connected to the rear frame; a base connected to one of the rear frame and the seat frame; a cross beam connected to the rear frame; and four pair of resistance bands; one pair connected to the cross beam; and the other three pair connected to the base.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS/FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an exercise chair in an unfolded or use position according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of an exercise chair in a folded or storage position according to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of an exercise chair 10 is shown generally in FIG. 1. An embodiment of exercise chair 10 includes a pair of back frames 12 pivotably connected to a pair of seat frames 14 at frame pivot points 22. A back 16 is mounted to back frames 12 at a position close to ends 36 of back frames 12. A seat 18 is pivotably mounted to back frames 12 at a seat pivot points 24 and to seat frames 14 at a seat pivot point 40 (on opposite sides of seat 18). Back 16 and seat 18 are mounted to back frames 12 and seat frames 14 at an angle to each other that is comfortable for an adult person to sit in for extended periods of time when exercise chair 10 is in an unfolded position as shown in FIG. 1. In this embodiment, frame pivot point 22, seat pivot point 24, and seat pivot point 40 are configured in a way to allow exercise chair 10 to be folded from an unfolded position, as show in FIG. 1, to a folded position, as shown in FIG. 2. Folding is accomplished by having seat 18 pivot in an upward direction until it is lying parallel and adjacent to back 16. In the folded position exercise chair 10 takes up significantly less space than in the unfolded position, and may easily be stored in unused spaces, for example underneath a bed or behind a door. Alternative designs and methods for creating a folding chair are well-known in the art and may be used interchangeably in place of the above-described folding chair design.

Back frames 12 are connected to a front base 26 at ends opposite ends 36. Seat frames 14 are connected to a rear base 28 at ends 38. Front base 26 and rear base 28 extend beyond frames 12 and 14 to stabilize exercise chair 10 when it is being used without the need for excessive weight being present on exercise chair 10. A cross beam 20 is connected to back frames 12 near ends 36. Cross beam 20 is positioned such that it is parallel to the floor and would be at approximately shoulder height of an average height adult person sitting in exercise chair 10. The horizontal distance cross beam 20 extends to either side of exercise chair 10 is sufficient to allow for a range of upper body exercises as described below. In an alternative embodiment cross beam 20 may be adjustably attached to back frames 12 such that the vertical position of cross beam 20 may be adjusted to match the shoulder height of different users.

Exercise chair 10 also includes a number of resistance bands 30 connected at one end to various parts of exercise chair 10. Resistance bands 30 may have handles 32 connected to an end of resistance bands 30 that is opposite the end connected to exercise chair 10. Handles 32 may be sized to function either through gripping by hand or by slipping over a foot or lower leg. Resistance bands 30 may be made of an appropriate elastic material that requires increasing force to deform beyond a relaxed state, such as a rubber or other flexible elastic material typically used for exercise bands. It should be noted that the resistive force created by resistance bands 30 as they are stretched may be tailored by material selection and design of the resistance bands 30, and thus exercise chair 10 may be provided with a variety of resistance bands 30 that require increasing force to stretch beyond the relaxed state.

In an alternative embodiment, ends of resistance bands 30 may connect to exercise chair 10 at connection points 34 in a releasable manner. These releasable connections may be accomplished in any manner which can withstand the forces put on the resistance bands 30 during exercise, for example through hooks disposed on the end of resistance bands 30 which hook into appropriate holes found on exercise chair 10.

Resistance bands 30 may be attached to exercise chair 10 in a variety of configurations designed to facilitate different exercise routines. In one embodiment, there may be four pair of resistance bands 30 attached to exercise chair 10. A pair of resistance bands 30 may be attached one per side on cross beam 20 an equal distance from a centerline of back 16 to facilitate various seated press and shoulder press exercises. Another pair of resistance bands 30 may be attached to front base 26 outside of the connection point between back frames 12 and front base 26 in such a way to allow for bicep curls and similar arm exercises. A third pair of resistance bands 30 may be attached to rear base 28 near the connection point between seat frames 14 and rear base 28 in order to allow for leg extensions and similar exercises while seated. A fourth pair of resistance bands 30 may be attached in a symmetrical fashion to rear base 28 to enable a series of seated exercises such as a seated chest fly, and also to enable standing exercises such as lateral leg raises. The design of front base 26 and rear base 28 ensure the stability of exercise chair 10 when standing exercises are performed with only a minimal amount of force being placed on exercise chair 10 by the user, such as with their free hand. The preceding discussion of the placement of resistance bands 30 and exercises that may be performed should be taken as non-limiting examples designed to aid in comprehension of the embodiment described here. Numerous other options exist for both placement of resistance bands 30 and exercises that may be performed on exercise chair 10.

In another embodiment of exercise chair 10, there are a total of sixteen resistance bands 30. One pair of resistance bands may be attached to cross beam 20 in a symmetrical fashion in order to allow for exercises like a seated chest press. Multiple pairs of resistance bands 30 may be attached to front base 26 in a symmetrical fashion in order to allow various exercises to be performed, including bicep curls and similar exercises. Multiple pairs of resistance bands 30 may also be attached to rear base 28 in a symmetrical fashion to allow for exercises such as a seated chest fly and leg extensions.

Back frames 12, seat frames 14, cross beam 20, front base 26, and rear base 28 may be made of any appropriate material that can bear the full weight of an adult person and withstand the forces experienced by exercise chair 10 while various exercises occur. Examples of such materials include aluminum, steel, plastics, and composite materials. Back 16 and seat 18 may be made of any appropriate material or combinations of materials that can withstand the forces described above and provide a level of comfort to an adult person using exercise chair 10. Example materials include plastics, metals, and combinations of plastics and metals covered with foam padding or fabric. The connections described in this disclosure may be accomplished by any means known in the art, including adhesive fastening, welding, riveting, and mechanical fastening using screws. The pivotable connections may employ any appropriate means known in the art, for example a pivot pin, and may include a locking feature.

A method for use of exercise chair 10 may be as follows. First, a user removes the folded exercise chair 10 from its storage location, such as from under a bed. Next, the user unfolds exercise chair 10 and places it in a location with sufficient space surrounding exercise chair 10 in order to safely perform the desired exercises. If the handles of resistance bands 30 have been looped around the crossbar 20 and bases 26 and 28 as shown in FIG. 2, the users would first unloop them so that they are only connected to exercise chair at their connections points 34. The user may then adjust, add, or remove resistance bands 30 as desired to prepare the chair for use according to the user's exercise regime. Here, the user can also adjust the resistance bands 30 to set appropriate resistance levels. After appropriate warm-up and stretching, the user may then exercise on exercise chair 10. The user may alternate seated exercises with standing exercises, or may choose to perform all seated exercises before any standing exercises, or some combination of the two. The resistance bands 30 provide increasing resistance as they are stretched beyond their relaxed state, and thus the user may also tailor how much resistance they desire by how much they extend the resistance bands 30. Once the user is finished exercising, exercise chair 10 may be folded and returned to its storage location, leaving the space occupied for exercising free for other uses.

It is to be appreciated that the Detailed Description section, and not the Summary and Abstract sections, is intended to be used to interpret the claims. The Summary and Abstract sections may set forth one or more but not all exemplary embodiments of the present invention as contemplated by the inventor(s), and thus, are not intended to limit the present invention and the appended claims in any way.

The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the invention that others can, by applying knowledge within the skill of the art, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments, without undue experimentation, without departing from the general concept of the present invention. Therefore, such adaptations and modifications are intended to be within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments, based on the teaching and guidance presented herein. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, such that the terminology or phraseology of the present specification is to be interpreted by the skilled artisan in light of the teachings and guidance.

The breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An exercise chair, comprising: a rear frame; a seat frame, pivotably connected to the rear frame; a seat, pivotably connected to the rear frame and to the seat frame; a back connected to the rear frame; a base connected to one of the rear frame and the seat frame; a cross beam connected to the rear frame; a first resistance band connected to the cross beam at one end of the first resistance band; and a second resistance band connected to the base at one end of the second resistance band.
 2. The exercise chair of claim 1, wherein the base is connected to the seat frame.
 3. The exercise chair of claim 2, further comprising a front base connected to the rear frame.
 4. The exercise chair of claim 3, wherein the exercise chair is configured to pivot such that the base and the front base are adjacent to each other when the exercise chair is in a folded configuration.
 5. The exercise chair of claim 4, wherein the cross beam is connected to the rear frame such that it is disposed parallel to a floor plane and such that a centerline of the cross beam is approximately aligned with a centerline of the back.
 6. The exercise chair of claim 5, further comprising: a third resistance band connected to the cross beam at one end of the third resistance band, wherein the connection between the first resistance band and the cross beam is located on a first side of the exercise chair that is opposite from a second side, and wherein the connection between the cross beam and the third resistance band is located on the second side of the exercise chair.
 7. The exercise chair of claim 6, further comprising a fourth resistance band connected to the front base at one end of the fourth resistance band, wherein both the fourth resistance band and the second resistance band are connected to the second base and the base on the first side of the exercise chair.
 8. The exercise chair of claim 7, further comprising a fifth resistance band connected to the base at one end of the fifth resistance band, wherein the fifth resistance band is connected to the base on the second side of the exercise chair.
 9. The exercise chair of claim 8, further comprising a sixth resistance band connected to the front base at one end of the sixth resistance band, wherein the sixth resistance band is connected to the front base on the second side of the exercise chair.
 10. The exercise chair of claim 9, further comprising a seventh resistance band connected to the base at one end of the seventh resistance band, wherein the seventh resistance band is connected to the base on the first side of the exercise chair at a location that is closer to a centerline of the seat than the connection between the base and the second resistance band.
 11. The exercise chair of claim 10, further comprising an eighth resistance band connected to the base at one end of the eighth resistance band, wherein the eighth resistance band is connected to the base on the second side of the exercise chair at a location that is closer to a centerline of the seat than the connection between the base and the fifth resistance band.
 12. The exercise chair of claim 11, wherein the back may comprise padding configured to enhance user comfort.
 13. The exercise chair of claim 12, wherein the seat may comprise padding configured to enhance user comfort.
 14. The exercise chair of claim 13, wherein at least one of the first resistance band, the second resistance band, the third resistance band, the fourth resistance band, the fifth resistance band, the sixth resistance band, the seventh resistance band, and the eighth resistance band are configured to be releasably connected to the exercise chair.
 15. The exercise chair of claim 14, wherein at least one of the cross beam, base, and front base include a plurality of holes that are configured to act as connection points for one of the resistance bands.
 16. The exercise chair of claim 15, wherein at least one of the first resistance band, the second resistance band, the third resistance band, the fourth resistance band, the fifth resistance band, the sixth resistance band, the seventh resistance band, and the eighth resistance band further comprise a hook configured to connect to one of the plurality of holes.
 17. The exercise chair of claim 1, wherein the cross beam is adjustably attached to the rear frame such that a distance of the cross beam from the floor may be adjusted.
 18. The exercise chair of claim 16, further comprising a handle attached to a second end of at least one of the first resistance band, the second resistance band, the third resistance band, the fourth resistance band, the fifth resistance band, the sixth resistance band, the seventh resistance band, and the eighth resistance band.
 19. The exercise chair of claim 18, wherein the handle is configured to allow for gripping by a hand of a user and for slipping a foot of a user through the handle.
 20. The exercise chair of claim 19, wherein the resistance bands comprise an elastic material that requires increasing force to deform beyond a relaxed state. 